Course overview

Faced with today's highly challenging global economy, the need for effective marketing is greater than ever. To achieve its aims in the face of increasingly demanding customers and against ever greater competition, businesses are required to have a deep understanding of customer needs and the ability to offer highly distinctive and valued products and services in new and interesting ways.

This degree will provide a firm grounding in all aspects of modern marketing and enable you to develop a range of work skills such as creativity, critical analysis, problem-solving, team-working, and communication. This is in addition to developing your marketing strengths while dealing with curent topics and issues in marketing.

We are interested in those who want to enhance their communication and presentation skills, and who are keen to work both independently and as part of a group. Proficiency in ICT will be vital to your future career in marketing and we will support your development by offering access to our computer suites and academic support services.

We understand that students can find it difficult to choose which particular degree to study and so we have designed a common first year programme that is shared across a number of different courses. This gives you a broad-based understanding of a range of business subjects. It also allows you to transfer on to one of the other courses with the shared common first year should you find you develop an interest and career ambition in a particular subject area (see Course content Year one for further details).

Your skills will be enhanced during your placement year, which is the most involving type of work experience you can undertake during your studies.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the leading professional body for marketers worldwide. Alongside your marketing degree studies, you will have the opportunity to gain CIM professional qualifications, which are highly sought after by employers and ensures that we are equipping you with the best opportunities for a successful marketing career.

Course content

Year one

This common first year provides you with a broad understanding of how business operates. At the end of Year one you can, should you wish (and in consultation with the Head of Undergraduate Programmes), transfer on to any of the other courses which share the same common first year (although transfer to BA (Hons) European Business is subject to the language competence you will need for the overseas study elements).

The common first year is made up of the following subject areas:

• Business Accounting
• Business Environment
• Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis
• Marketing Principles and Practice
• Managing People in Organisations
• Operations and Systems

Courses sharing the common first year:

• BA (Hons) Business and Management
• BA (Hons) Business and Human Resource Management
• BA (Hons) Business Enterprise Development
• BA (Hons) Economics and Management
• BA (Hons) European Business
• BA (Hons) Finance and Management
• BA (Hons) International Business

Year two

The second year is designed to develop your understanding of marketing and builds on the learning from year one. Units studied will include:

• Marketing Research and Planning  
• Developing Marketing Communications
• Managing Product Portfolios
• Digital Marketing Strategies
• Business Research

You will also have the opportunity to tailor your degree through a range of options including:

• Cross Cultural Awareness in Business
• Developing new Products and Managing Brands
• Global Marketing
• Professional Selling and Sales Management

Placement year

This degree includes the opportunity to undertake a one-year placement working in a paid full-time role which offers progression and a suitable level of responsibility. You will return to your studies with contemporary business experience which will improve your ability to engage in debate and develop your strategic thinking. Our experience has shown that not only does relevant experience help you to obtain graduate employment (often within your placement company), it also improves academic achievement.

With employers now requiring graduates to have the key business competencies and experience alongside a good degree, work experience is more vital than ever. Due to its very nature a placement year is the best and most involving type of work experience you can do during your time at university. As such, a placement will help ensure you are as employable as possible upon graduation.

The Placements Office will support you during your placement search, the subsequent recruitment processes and when you have secured your placement and are working away from the University. If you’d like to know more about where our placement students are working, please click through to what our students say.

Final year

The final year offers the opportunity for further specialisation in marketing. In addition to the core unit Strategic Marketing and a choice of final year projects, you can choose from marketing specific options including:

• Advertising and Public Relations
• Business Enterprise
• Cross Cultural Awareness in Business
• Developing new Products and Managing Brands
• Global Marketing
• Managing Marketing Communications
• Professional Selling and Sales Management

You will also be required to undertake a piece of independent research in the form of a dissertation, work-based learning project or a business case report project.

Teaching and assessment

Here at Portsmouth we place a lot of emphasis on student support. At the start of each academic year you will be assigned a personal tutor, who will be available for regular meetings to discuss your progress, as well as help resolve any problems or questions that you may encounter along the way.

You will encounter a range of teaching methods, from lectures, seminars and tutorials to workshops and team-based projects. You will be taught by experienced marketers with a track record of success in business. Current staff members are drawn from a wide range of industries, including retailing, banking, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, defence, IT, public services and consultancy.

Most have held senior management positions and have international experience. Several have run their own businesses. All are committed to blending their practical experience with a strong grounding in marketing theory, providing a stimulating and academically challenging learning environment.

Assessments are an integral part of our teaching and learning approach. These will incorporate a blend of annual examinations, individual and group coursework, as well as online activities and practical exercises. We ensure a balance in assessment approaches in order to support the theoretical and practical aspects of the course, to suit the differing learning styles of our students and to prepare you for your graduate career and beyond.

Career prospects

Portsmouth Business School has well-established links with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the UK’s professional marketing organisation. Degrees are recognised by the CIM and graduates benefit from entry to later stages of the CIM professional qualifications.

Our range of marketing degrees are an excellent starting point for careers in marketing and a placement year sets you ahead of other recent graduates when seeking your first marketing position. Career opportunities include product management, marketing research, advertising, public relations, sales, web-marketing, market analysis, competitive intelligence, marketing management, general management, business strategy and new product development.

Facilities and features

You will attend lectures in the purpose-built Richmond Building, where the Business School is located. It offers a computer drop-in and resource centre containing a wireless network access area, as well as printing and photocopying facilities.

The University Library is at the centre of academic life and is only a short walk away. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides a variety of information to help with study and research. The library has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks that can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.

For international students we have a dedicated team of advisors to support you as you settle into life in Portsmouth and at the University. One of the team almost certainly has direct experience of your culture and may even speak your language.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Marketing for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).